


The Subtle Art of Hand-Holding

by recklessweightless



Category: Andi Mack (TV)
Genre: Coming Out, First Dates, First Kiss, Fluff, Gay, Holding Hands, M/M, really gay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-26
Updated: 2019-07-26
Packaged: 2020-07-20 10:09:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19990381
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/recklessweightless/pseuds/recklessweightless
Summary: After their talk on the bench, TJ and Cyrus finally get the chance to talk about what they are to each other. And just be cute together.(Finale spoilers)





	The Subtle Art of Hand-Holding

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to @garrensluke @amberkippenmack and @c7rus on twitter for inspiring me to write this. I needed more tyrus after the finale.

_ “Is there anything you wanna tell me?” _

TJ held his hand. TJ Kippen held Cyrus Goodman’s hand. Thelonius Jagger Kippen held his hand. Cyrus couldn’t help but laugh softly to himself when he thought of TJ’s full name again. He meant it when he told TJ he loved that name. It was ridiculous but Cyrus still thought it was cute. Probably just because he thought TJ was cute.

So they held hands. They held hands and lost all personal space. At one point, Cyrus’s head ended up resting on TJ’s shoulder. They didn’t talk much. It didn’t feel like a moment for talking. But when Cyrus was finally alone at home, that fact started sending waves of anxiety throughout his whole body. Maybe it was a fluke. Some kind of fever dream or a really elaborate prank. It could’ve meant anything. Maybe it meant nothing.

After entirely too long spent laying in his bed letting his terrified thoughts rush over him, Cyrus picked up his phone, calling one of his most called numbers quickly. Without even waiting for a hello, he started. 

“What does it mean? I mean, I know we held hands, but what does that mean? Are you messing with me? Did Kira put you up to this?”

“Cyrus!” TJ said, the scratchiness of his voice making it clear that Cyrus woke him up. "No one is messing with you. I…" He sighed softly, a distant sound making Cyrus feel even further away from TJ. "It's still hard for me to say. This is new for me. I… like you. You got that right? I thought we…"

"We did," Cyrus said, unable to stop the smile that played at his lips. "I mean… me too. I like you too."

TJ laughed, sending a flurry of butterflies fluttering through Cyrus's stomach. He loved that sound. More than almost anything else. 

"So," TJ muttered, his voice softer than it already was somehow. "Would you… wanna hang out tomorrow?"

"Like a… date?" Cyrus asked, another round of butterflies hitting him from that one word. 

"Yeah. A date." He couldn't be sure, but Cyrus almost thought he could hear TJ's smile. 

Cyrus groaned then, remembering his earlier conversation with Andi and Buffy. "I'm meeting Buffy and Andi for baby taters tomorrow," he said. "But after? You can meet me at the Spoon."

"Yeah," TJ replied. "I'll meet you there. Oh, and Cyrus?"

Cue Cyrus's heart pounding once again. It took him a beat before he managed to choke out the word, "Yeah?" His voice clearly cracked on the word.

"Go to sleep," TJ said, laughing quietly. "It's 3 in the morning."

Cyrus let out a long breath, shaking his head with a small laugh of his own. "Fine. Goodnight, Thelonius."

"Cyrus, you promised!"

"Goodnight." Cyrus laughed again, hanging up before TJ got the chance to protest anymore.

After everything, Cyrus barely slept. He laid on his back, staring at the ceiling and remembering how TJ's hand felt in his. At around 8 AM, he finally dragged himself out of bed despite only sleeping a couple hours at most and started getting dressed, a little smile making its way onto his face again.

He tried to stay distracted until Buffy and Andi texted that they were on their way to the Spoon, then he happily made his way there. When the baby taters were in front of them and they were lost in conversation, including Buffy telling them the whole story of how Marty kissed her, Cyrus wanted so badly to tell them about TJ. He almost did. But he didn't know who TJ was out to and if he wanted to be out, and as happy as he was, he didn't want to out TJ. So he kept quiet, just letting the excitement of their upcoming date settle in his stomach. 

After about an hour or so, Cyrus got a text from TJ, a smile spreading across his face when he read it. 

"What are you so happy about?" Buffy asked, eyeing Cyrus like she almost knew the answer.

"I'll tell you later, I promise!" Cyrus said, standing. "As soon as I can. But right now, I have to…" He looked up at the sound of tapping on the window, smiling even wider when he saw TJ standing outside. 

"You're leaving us to hang out with TJ?" Andi said, a bit of an annoyed tone creeping into her voice. 

"Andi, it's okay," Buffy said, smiling a little. "Text us later?"

Cyrus nodded, smiling at them both before heading outside as quickly as he could without falling, stopping in front of TJ. His hand went reaching for TJ's, almost without thinking, but their fingers just barely brushed when he glanced back at Buffy and Andi, who had a clear view of them still. 

TJ followed Cyrus's gaze, smiling understandingly then quickly leading Cyrus around the corner and out of sight, his fingers interlocking with Cyrus's as soon as they were alone. "Hi," he murmured, a little smile settling on his lips. 

And there was that face. Cyrus wished he could remember when TJ started looking at him like that. Now that he knew, it seemed so obvious that TJ liked him, and if he could remember when that look started… he would know when TJ started liking him.

"Hi," Cyrus replied, smiling back at him. "I um… sorry about Buffy and Andi. I didn't tell them anything. I didn't know if you…"

TJ smiled, his gaze going even softer. "I thought that was because you weren't ready… you did that for me?"

Cyrus nodded, his eyes flicking down to the sidewalk shyly before he made eye contact with the other boy again. 

"My family doesn't know," TJ muttered. 

"Mine either," Cyrus said, smiling quickly shifting to a small frown. 

"But we can tell Buffy and Andi," TJ added quickly, giving Cyrus's hand an encouraging squeeze to go along with it. "And figure out the rest together."

_ Together.  _ God, that sounded so nice. Without even fully processing his actions, Cyrus quickly pinched his arm, letting out a squeal of pain after. 

"Cyrus!" TJ said. "What was that?"

"Sorry!" Cyrus replied. "I'm just… making sure this isn't a dream."

TJ laughed loudly at that, that same look settling on to his face again after. "It's real, Cyrus. Now… we have a date to get to."

Another rush of butterflies hit Cyrus as they started walking, the feeling of TJ's hand in his making his heart pound. "So where are we going?" He asked softly. 

"You'll see," TJ said, shooting a sideways smirk over at Cyrus. 

"Whatever you say, Thelonius," Cyrus replied quickly, making TJ's smirk quickly fall into a frown. 

"Cyrus! I thought you promised, and that's the second time!"

"I like it! Honestly. It's… cute."

That brought TJ's smirk back quickly and Cyrus smiled in return, his constant flurry of butterflies multiplying.

"You think I'm cute?" TJ murmured.

"You know I do," Cyrus whispered, looking down at his feet as they walked. 

"I think you're cute too," TJ said, his shoulder bumping Cyrus's gently and making the other look up again. 

"Cute enough to call you Thelonius?" Cyrus asked, laughing with a mischievous spark in his eyes. 

TJ just rolled his eyes in response before starting to jog, dragging Cyrus with him. "We're here!"

When he saw what TJ was headed for, Cyrus smiled again, following him quickly. TJ sat in a swing, looking up at Cyrus expectantly. 

"You know the last time I was here, I saw you with Kira," Cyrus said, standing in front of TJ with a frown and his arms crossed over his chest. 

TJ frowned too, looking down at his feet. "I'm… sorry about that. I wasn't…" He looked up, his expression looking not unlike a wounded puppy. "Can you sit and I'll explain?"

Cyrus hesitated for a second before sitting in the swing next to TJ, looking at him silently. 

"I think Kira knows," TJ started, looking straight ahead and letting the swing rock a little as he spoke. "That I like you."

"That you what?" Cyrus asked, a playful smile on his face. 

"Cyrus!" TJ said, unable to hold back a laugh even as he rolled his eyes. "Let me finish?"

Cyrus nodded, ghost of his smile still lingering. 

"Thank you. So the costume day thing… she never said anything specific but she made me feel like it was weird that I was doing a costume with you. I wasn't ready for people to know. I didn't want anyone to think and start asking questions and she knew that. She used that against me."

"Know what?" Cyrus asked, any remnants of teasing gone and his voice a gentle urge. "That you like me or… that you like boys?"

"That I like  _ a _ boy," TJ said, looking at Cyrus again with a bit of the wounded puppy look back in place. "I don't know what I am, Cyrus. I'm still figuring it out and I want time to do that without the rumors."

"You don't have to know," Cyrus said quickly, his hand catching TJ's again. "It's okay to not know." He smiled gently, his shoulder bumping TJ's this time. That gave TJ a smile to mirror Cyrus's and he adjusted their hands so their fingers were intertwined again. 

"Think we can swing holding hands?" TJ asked.

"I think we'll never know until we try."

And he started swinging slowly, TJ following, and both of them almost tangling their arms and falling face first off the swing as they attempted to swing higher without letting go of each other. After a few messy minutes, TJ ended up collapsing on the ground, pulling Cyrus down on top of him. 

"Thelonius, was this some kind of ploy to get me in this position?" Cyrus asked, the sound of his pounding heart pressed against TJ's chest echoing in his ear. 

TJ's laugh felt almost distant even though their faces were inches apart and his chest rumbled when he spoke.

"You're not letting Thelonius go, are you?"

Cyrus shook his head, finally locking eyes with TJ again, though that just made his heart pound faster. He could feel TJ's breath hit his skin and that was enough to make him forget it was almost freezing out. 

"What about Theo?" Cyrus whispered, afraid to speak too loud and disturb the air between them. "That can be a nickname for Thelonius."

"Theo huh?" TJ asked, voice as quiet as Cyrus's. "I could be okay with Theo. As long as I can still call you underdog."

"Please don't ever stop that," Cyrus said, unsure if he imagined TJ's face moving closer as he spoke.

Then he knew he wasn't when the space between them became miniscule, TJ's eyes flicking to Cyrus's lips and the butterflies in Cyrus's chest threatening to burst out. He barely had time to breath before closing the gap between them and then it was happening. He was kissing a boy for the first time, and not just any boy.  _ TJ.  _ And it felt as perfect as he dreamed it would. It only lasted a couple seconds before they broke it, but the matching smiles they both had after said everything. TJ let out a breath first and Cyrus followed quickly, their pounding hearts and sighs mirroring like a dance in the air between them. 

Cyrus didn't wanna be the first to move, but he could only stare silently at those soft green eyes for so long before he noticed his foot falling asleep and he forced himself to roll onto the ground and onto his back next to TJ.

TJ sighed a little, grabbing Cyrus's hand quickly without ever looking away from the sky. It was getting easier, like soon their hands would just find each other like magnetics that can't help but be pulled together. 

"Have you ever kissed anyone before?" TJ asked softly, and Cyrus noticed he already missed feeling TJ's breath. 

"Kind if," Cyrus answered. "Once. I had a girlfriend."

TJ laughed loudly at that, finally looking over at Cyrus. "And how was that?"

"Awkward! I mean, she was so sweet and I wish we would've kept in touch more because we have so much in common, but acting like I wanted to kiss her when I didn't…"

"So you're gay?" TJ asked. "Why didn't you ever tell me?"

"I haven't done a lot of coming out," Cyrus answered softly. "I've only said the words I'm gay a couple times. A few to just… say it to myself and then once to tell Jonah. Plus I think maybe I thought if I told you… you'd worry I had a crush on you."

"But you do," TJ said, his smirk returning to his face. 

"I know that, but I didn't want you to know then!"

"I've never kissed anyone," TJ confessed, looking back up at the rolling clouds. "Until now. I'm glad it was you."

"Me too," Cyrus whispered, giving TJ's hand a gentle kiss. "Thanks for a pretty perfect first date, Theo."

"Anytime, Underdog."


End file.
